The sod house of the Henry Martens family at Freedom in Frontier County, Nebraska. Henry & Louisa moved to this farm in about June 1905. Willie was born in Feb 1904, and Emma was born in Dec 1905. This picture was taken sometime in 1907.

These web pages are about and for the ancestors and descendants of Henry Martens, born Feb 1873 in Cedarburg Township, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, and Louisa Margaret Krause, born May 1878 in Jena, District of Jena, Province of Thüringen, Germany. Louisa and her family immigrated to this country, arriving in Baltimore on 14 Sept 1881. They settled in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska. Henry's family moved from Wisconsin to Precinct D, Seward County, Nebraska in May 1889. Henry & Louisa met on "The Island" in Polk County, south of Duncan, when Louisa was walking out from Columbus to the farm of her sister Amelia, who was married to Frank Plageman. Henry and Louisa were married in St. John's Lutheran Church on "The Island" on 2 Oct 1902. That church is now part of the museum of the Polk County Historical Society, located in Osceola.

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